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Friday, 20 December 2013

Hackney to demolish sixteen Georgian houses in Dalston Lane

Hackney has entered a development agreement with private contractor, Murphy, which now proposes the complete demolition, rather than restoration, of the Georgian houses at Nos 48-78 Dalston Lane. In 2005 English Heritage had declared the houses to be "remarkable survivors of Georgian architecture", and a "conservation led" project was to be the centerpiece of the newly designated Dalston Lane (West) Conservation Area. Now, due to years of neglect and vandalism, Hackney's plan is to demolish the houses and redevelop with front facades in "heritage likeness".

'Jon's Scooters' at Nos 62-64 suffered an arson attack and deliberate vandalism in 2004. Nothing was done to shore up, or rebuild, the houses which quickly deteriorated. There were two mysterious fires in other shops as well.

Hackney inherited the sixteen houses in 1984 when the GLC was abolished. In 2002 it ignored the shopkeepers' offers and sold them all, as one lot at auction, for £1.8million to an off-shore developer. Hackney refused planning permission for demolition and redevelopment in 2004 but, whilst awaiting the developer's appeal, two of the houses suffered an arson attack. The Council subsequently demolished Nos 60, 62 and 64, at public expense, in September 2007. Then, in 2010, it bought back all the remaining houses and the three demolished sites for £3.8million - double what it had originally sold them for at auction.. How would Hackney get its money back? (Don't you mean our money? Ed.)

The findings of the most recent structural survey, which Hackney accepts, state that "the façade of Nos 48-78 Dalston Lane had significantly deteriorated due to general neglect, weathering, fire damage and subsequent water damage " and is "generally in poor condition throughout, having suffered significant general deterioration".

In 2009 many of the houses were painted black to obscure graffiti. The structural engineers have advised that "The areas of brickwork previously rendered or painted could not withstand the required cleaning process."

In October 2012 Hackney eventually granted itself planning permission for re-development.The permission is to convert the upper floors into 44 flats, including adding a mansard storey, and was to include renovation of the existing Dalston Lane facades and shop fronts. But the structural engineers have now advised that it is "impossible for the facade to support any additional loading that may be imposed by the proposed additional floor at mansard level" and that it would be "unsafe to attempt to retain the facades following any future demolition of the internal walls, floors or remaining roofs" because "there would be a high risk of collapse". However the Planning Committee voted for partial retention, not total demolition.

This artists impression shows the latest plan to redevelop the terrace. Murphy will have a 125 year lease and market all the new flats privately, with no affordable housing. It will lease the ground floor shops back to Hackney.

Of the existing shop fronts, they have also suffered severe deterioration, except for those of the two surviving businesses, 'Sound and Music' and 'Hy-Tec'. Of those, the surveyors comment, "the shop fronts to Nos 48 and 66 are to be retained however it will not be feasible to retain these in place without damage occurring during demolition and construction and they should be dismantled and stored off site". Mouldings are to be taken to enable reproduction of some of the decorative features of the shopfronts.

The backs and interiors of the existing terrace houses are to be demolished and redeveloped as flats. Open space will be created by taking in some of the estate car parking, which Hackney will compulsorily purchase.

The Dalston Lane Georgian houses have had a sad history. It was once a thriving street of independent businesses but tenants' leases were not renewed, shops were boarded up rather then relet, and no repair and maintenance was done. Despite the Dalston community's campaign, and Hackney's stated commitment to the historic environment, all are now to be demolished. We are now left to hope for a quality scheme and that new commercial tenants can be found for the ground floor shops.

Artists impression of the proposed redeveloped terrace, with reproduction shopfronts, additional mansard roofs and glazed in-fills between the pairs of houses.

10 comments:

The behaviour of Hackney Council in this debacle has been absolutely scandalous. Millions of pounds of OUR money wasted and for what? They've behaved throughout as if they are utterly unaccountable to the public. Sadly they'll get away with it, because not enough people care and those that do, despite heroic efforts, don't hold enough collective power to get them held to account.

My sister has just bought a flat in a Georgian building on Guilford street,Bloomsbury.It was bombed during WW2 but it has been renovated in brilliant fashion.People are buying up in Bloomsbury because it is retaining it's Georgianness-if only Hackney Council could see where the goldmine actually lies !!!

Thoroughly shocked! How public/council money and buildings can be wasted in this manner! Where are the elected Councillors! ? Who is looking after the public interest? not this CONCIL!My deep admiration, unlimited sympathies and big thank you to the peeps writing and fighting at Open Dalston! Please please let's do an Open list at the next local election!? I vote for you and rally as many as I can. deal?

Hackney Council never had any intention of renovating the terraces, contrary to what they stated in court. Had they not evicted the squatters, who managed the situation with regards to weathering, thus leaving the buildings unoccupied since 2011, they would have been in a reasonable enough state to repair. Their intention to sell on to developers was evident right from the get-go and the whole business with selling the terrace to an overseas firm and buying them back at a later date smacks of someone on the inside lining their pockets. Dig deeper and I'm sure someone on the council will have some personal connection with the offshore firm that was involved. Call it a hunch.

How are these people in power, they are supposed to represent us & completely ignore the public's wishes on this & many other issues, special policy area being one example. They are slowly eroding what makes Hackney special & trying to make it into a lifeless overpriced developers paradise. Of there needs to be new housing but having lived here for 5 years I can see all the soul slowing being drained away.

The irony is that in 2004 "those in power" declared the conservation area, and then a 'conservation led restoration' of the terrace, but sat back to watch the destruction of local businesses and then the houses themselves. Now they will cry crocodile tears, blame others, and say it's too late. Liars, hypocrites and incompetants

Here's another example of Hackney Council incompetence; we live in a Victorian conservation area, close to the Dalston Lane site. Our neighbour, a slum landlord (registered off-shore!) ripped out all the original sash windows and frames, and replaced them with ugly pvc windows, not in keeping with the Victorian character of the building. It was a breach of planning regs, and was reported by various neighbours. Three or four years later we were told by Hackney Council it was now 'too late' to take action - despite the fact the breach was reported at the time of the incident!

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OPEN Dalston is a forum of local people who live or work in Dalston. OPEN Dalston campaigns for excellence in the quality of the built environment and public realm, the provision of transportation and amenities, and to ensure that changes to these have proper regard to the needs of local residents and businesses and the maintenance of a sustainable residential and business community. For more information please email info@opendalston.net
Some members of OPEN Dalston are also members, and some are Directors, of the not-for-profit company OPEN (Organisation for Promotion of Environmental Needs Ltd) – www.openuk.net